On Monday, the New York Islanders made John Tavares the 14th captain in franchise history. It was an incredibly unsurprising decision.
Even at the age of 22, Tavares is the team's most accomplished NHLer and its clear on-ice leader. The real question is how far he can take a team coming off an unbelievably bad quarter-century.
That Tavares is a phenomenal talent seems beyond dispute. Last season, he led the team and finished 17th in the league in scoring, recording 47 points in 48 games. Even more impressively, his 28 goals trailed only Alexander Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos.
The season prior, Tavares' 31 goals tied for 20th in the NHL while his 81 points were tied for seventh.
It is a remarkable track record, but especially so for a player his age. Centers who were unable to match that pace at the same age include names like Jonathan Toews, Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron and Ryan Getzlaf—all crucial parts of eventual Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Perhaps more interesting are the names just in front of Tavares: three singular young players who have enj ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis